Promise
by Steve Einstein
Summary: AU. Kagami and Tetsuna (fem!Kuroko) just move to Seirin village. Kise (fem!Kise) and Aomine were childhood friends. However, their friendship began to crumble when Kise found out Aomine had fallen in love with Tetsuna.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Promise.

**Disclaimer: **Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

**Warning(s):** AU, gender-bender (fem!Kuroko, fem!Kise, fem!Midorima).

**Summary: **Kagami & Tetsuna (fem!Kuroko) just moved into Seirin village. Kise (fem!Kise) and Aomine were childhood friends. However, their friendship began to crumble when Kise found out Aomine had a feelings towards Tetsuna.

* * *

"_Promise we'll always be together?"_

"_Promise."_

_Two pinky fingers twined together as a vow of their friendship, loyalty and…_

…_love._

* * *

The mountains were comprised of gently sloping highlands. Its summit, valleys, and spurs were all buried under yellow and crimson forests rich in plants life.

A light blue color pervaded the high, almost transparent sky.

And amidst the various trees in the forests shedding their autumn leaves was a lone road.

On this path waddled an old man. Dry leaves crunched under rubber tires as he pushed his bicycle. He hummed happily, enjoying the scenery.

His humming was disturbed when there was a white truck rumbling past him before stopping into a halt in front of him.

"_Sumimasen_, _jii-san_," a tall man with a pair of sharp bright red orbs stepped out from the vehicle. "Where is Seirin village?" His raucous voice, red-black layered hair, and stern look could terrify anyone but the old man.

"Aaah… you just need to follow this path," the old man casually pointed in his direction. "The village is at the end of this road."

"Is that so? _Arigatou_, _jii-san_," his smile softened the features of his jagged face.

"_Anata_, do you get the direction?" a feminine voice called out. A very young lady got off the vehicle and strode towards them. Her shoulder-length light blue hair swayed gently in the breeze, contrasting with the red scenery of autumn. Soft blue eyes adorned her face.

"Tetsuna," the man said. "Yeah, I got it thanks to _jii-san_."

The lady called Tetsuna bowed. "_Arigatou gonzaimasu_, _ojii-san_, for helping my husband."

"Aaah… so you two are husband and wife."

"Yeah, I'm Kagami Taiga and this is my wife, Tetsuna," the man called himself Kagami introduced himself and his wife.

"Such a young couple," the old man remarked before realizing: "Ohh… so you two are the couple that people kept talking about!"

"_Anoo_… I'm sorry, _jii-san_, but I don't understand," Kagami scratched the back of his head.

"The headmaster told us about a newly-wed couple from Tokyo moving here. Everyone has been talking about it since then."

"Well… that's… we aren't expecting for that at all," the newly-weds exchanged looks.

"Young man, Seirin is just a small village. News spread easily," the old man laughed, revealing his crooked teeth.

"I suppose _ojii-san _lives there, then. Why don't you come with us? We can give you a lift," Tetsuna offered courteously.

"Haha, I'd like to, if you don't mind. My back is killing me, anyway!"

"Sure, sure, _jii-san_. I'll take care of your bicycle, then," Kagami brought the bicycle and placed it at the back of the truck.

"Oh, careful, young man! That's my only treasure left! Haha!" the old man joked playfully. Kagami replied 'Sure!'

"Please come with me, _ojii-san_," the blue haired lady gestured at the vehicle. The old man smiled and tailed her.

"Young lady, what you two do for living?"

"I'm working as kindergarten teacher, while my husband is an English teacher."

"Suits you very well, young lady!"

"_Arigatou_, _ojii-san_. But, my husband is also a basketball coach."

"Aah… that explains his muscular body," he didn't sound surprise.

Tetsuna cast a glance at her husband, cracking a small smile. "I couldn't agree more."

…

"—AND, TOUCHDOWN!" a 12-years-old wavy blond girl landed on her feet, grinning from ear to ear. The fallen leaves danced away as though disturbed by waves caused by her jumping.

A basketball flew beautifully, forming a perfect arc in the sky, and went into the red hoop, before bouncing back to a tanned boy. The blue haired boy—same age with her—turned around to look at her: "What's up, Kise?"

"It's true! About the news, it's true, Aominecchi!" the girl called Kise said, rather excited.

"Which one?"

"About the newly-weds, of course! They're very young!"

"Ain't interested," the boy called Aomine replied nonchalantly and continued to dribble the ball.

"But, everyone is there welcoming them! Midorimacchi too!"

Aomine jumped up and performed a simple floater, shouting in a light tone to make sure Kise hears him: "Then, go with her! She's your best friend, isn't she?"

"Midorimacchi is my best friend, but…" she trailed off. "You _are _my childhood friend!"

That halted him. Kise began to kick the red-orange leaves with a pout forming on her pink lips. Aomine let out a sigh: "Fine. I'll go with you."

His words brought back twinkles in her yellow eyes. A sunny smile came to her lips.

"Thankies, Dai-chan~!"

A flush of embarrassment appeared on his cheekbones: "Stop calling me 'Dai-chan'! I ain't a kid anymore! I'm twelve, for God's sake!" He headed to his blue bicycle and mounted it.

"_Hai~ hai~_ Aominecchi is a grown up man, though he still likes crayfish!" Kise stood on the steels that attached to the hub, grasping Aomine's shoulders tightly.

"Hold tightly, or you'll fall over!"

"I know…waaaa~!"

And they rode off.

…

The double-storey traditional house stood a short distance from the wood, yet it faced south, making most of the sun. The villagers scattered around the house. Some of them were _really_ helping the owner moving stuffs. Some of them were gossiping with each other or just passing by to say 'hi'.

The childhood friends, Aomine and Kise had to push their way through the crowd to see the famous newly-weds. Kise craned her neck and stood on tiptoe to find them, and her best friend, too.

"Hm… maybe Midorimacchi has left," she muttered to herself.

Her yellow eyes, then, fell on a lovely light blue haired lady. Kise was stunned for a moment. A radiant smile formed on the lady's thin lips as she talked with an old man. And Kise found her voice was gentle.

"Kise, what are you looking at?" Aomine's sudden question startled her.

"_Ano_… I think I see her."

"Where?" his blue eyes drifted over Kise's shoulders and…

…there she was!

Like Kise, Aomine stared at the lady, in awe of her smile. His mind was reeling with an almost aesthetic delight at the beauty of the lady. He even didn't give a respond when Kise called him.

Suddenly, a box lightly hit his head. Aomine swiveled around, and found a tall man with fierce look standing before his eyes. The blue haired boy jerked back in defense and hissed angrily.

"Sorry, didn't see you," the man, Kagami said.

"Damn—"

"Aominecchi, don't—!"

"What's wrong, _anata_?" the lady interrupted, standing behind Kise and Aomine.

"Ehhhhh?!" the blonde girl jumped. She didn't even realize the lady was there! She darted at her childhood friend: seemed he also didn't notice the lady.

"_Iie_, accidently bumped his head with this box," Kagami told his wife.

"You should be more careful," she noted as she gently rubbed Aomine's head. Aomine blushed in embarrassment and she noticed it: "Ah, he's blushing. What's your name?"

"Ao… Aomine Daiki."

"And your cute friend?"

"I'm Kise Ryouko! Nice to meet you!" the blonde girl grinned broadly, flashing her white teeth.

"I'm Kagami Tetsuna, and this is my husband, Kagami Taiga," Tetsuna tapped her grumpy husband's shoulder. "Nice to meet you too, Aomine-kun, Kise-chan."

Kise's eyes sparkled with excitement, meanwhile…

…Aomine's face fell when he learned she had a scary husband, who he thought totally unsuitable for her gentleness.

* * *

**Author's note: **Welcome to my very first fanfic! I can't help writing this pair! AoKi is just too adorable!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Promise.

**Disclaimer:** Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

**Warning(s):** AU, gender-bender (fem!Kuroko, fem!Kise, fem!Midorima).

**Summary:** Kagami & Tetsuna (fem!Kuroko) just moved into Seirin village. Kise (fem!Kise) and Aomine were childhood friends. However, their friendship began to crumble when Kise found out Aomine had a feeling towards Tetsuna.

* * *

Looking up to the heavens, it calmed Kise after the chaotic meeting with their new villagers—namely Kagami Taiga and his wife, Tetsuna. The blonde girl always thought the line of stars in the sky at night as some sign of promising hope. It was beautiful, stunning. The feeling of breeze kissing her warm cheeks and the sound of trees chorusing made it even sweeter. And the presence of her childhood friend walking her home completed it.

"Can you stop smiling like that? It's creepy, you know," a question bounced off her childhood friend's lips as he pushed his bike forward.

"Sorry, Dai-chan. Can't help smiling," she chirped merrily.

"What are you thinking anyway? And 'Dai-chan'? That's creepier."

Kise hummed for a moment. "Well, I'm just thinking about how nice to walk in this breeze sometimes. Aominecchi doesn't like it?"

"Nice?" Aomine grunted. "How you define 'nice'? It's autumn, for heaven's sake. Autumn and cold are synonyms!"

"Synonyms? Really? How about winter, then?"

"It'd be 'freeze to death'."

"Wow, that's quite long for a synonym," Kise couldn't help but giggle at her childhood friend's antics. Aomine could be idiot sometimes, but it was fun to see some kind of that idiotic. It was… different and pleasant.

"Whatever. I heard our school is going to throw some sort of festival next few weeks," Aomine rubbed his cold nose.

"Family festival, to be exact. Oh, I'm so excited! Can't wait for it!" she spun on her heels, throwing her hands up like a kid.

The navy blue haired boy backed away from his excited friend. "Geez, what are you? A kid? Anyway, what kind of school having a festival in this cold, cruel, death season? Our school is crazy!"

Kise barked a laugh. "I thought Aominecchi said death is for winter. By the way, Aominecchi answered the question himself; _our_ kind of school," she pointed an index finger and winked. Then, she continued on. "Well, our class has registered for role playing. And for Aominecchi's information, we'll play 'Princess and her thief'."

Aomine hesitated. "Er, no offense, but I'm not interested."

"Interested or not, you've gotta listen to it. It's about a princess who wants to live freely, free from politics and stuff," Aomine began to wince and intended to stop her run-on sentences, but Kise didn't let him. "And, the thief wants to steal something valuable in the castle, but he steals her heart instead. But, her father doesn't like him."

"Romeo and Juliet," the tanned boy said nonchalantly.

"This is the best part; well, the thief fights for the princess and wins! In the end, they live happily ever after," the blonde girl finished her synopsis dramatically.

"Too cliché."

"So, I'm thinking," Aomine winced again, not liking the further words. Again, Kise ignored him. "…if we could ask Kagami-sensei some help, that'd be wonderful!"

"Kagami… who?"

"Kagami-sensei, the one who hit Aominecchi with boxes," she held up her hands, as if there were imaginary boxes behind her head. "Remember?"

A flashback of a tall redhead ran in his mind, and he couldn't help growling. "Yeah, that annoying guy. I remember him. What's up with him?"

"He's our English new teacher, so he should know—" the word '_our English teacher'_ escaped Kise's lips making Aomine gasp rather loudly.

"—Wow! Wait! Did you say 'our English teacher'? I didn't catch that very well. Or you just said tomorrow is going to rain?" he rambled.

His childhood friend stared at him in disbelief, an eyebrow wiggling up. "Yes, I said Kagami-sensei is _our_ English teacher. Aominecchi doesn't know?"

"Nah…" Aomine looked away. He had a glimpse that he wasn't going to like a guy named Kagami Taiga. "Of course I know about it. Now."

"It means Aominecchi just found out about it," Kise feigned angry. However, Aomine didn't retort back, and that caught her attention. Aomine always fired back to defense his ego—Aomine was too egoistic for his own good—and never stayed silent. ATPs in his body never stopped generating energy for his mouth once he'd started. And seeing Aomine this quiet puzzled Kise.

"What's Aominecchi thinking?" she asked worriedly.

"Nothing serious. Just thinking how to escape from that stupid role playing—wait, _that_ is serious," the blue haired boy lied smoothly through his teeth. "Hop on my bike. I'm tired of walking," he got on his bike.

"Wait up, Dai-chan!"

How could he explain to his childhood friend about a particular soft blue haired lady with a pure blue sky eyes adorning her face lingered in his mind?

In the serenity of night, two young adolescences' happy voices filled the cold ambience and slowly ebbed away as they rode past houses.

* * *

Delicious smells wafting up from the kitchen in the early morning fished Kagami out of the bedroom. Kagami picked his pace up and the stairs creaked as he stepped on it. Greeted by his angelic wife who was busy setting the table, Kagami couldn't help but crack a small smile. He sneaked up behind Tetsuna and embraced her playfully, earning a cute gasp escaping her. Tetsuna glanced back and beamed.

"'Morning, Mr. Sleepyhead," she said.

"'Morning, Mrs. Kagami," he simply replied, his lips touching Tetsuna's hair. Damn, that citrus shampoo; it made her hair smell delicious and super-luscious, driving him crazy! Having such a nice smell should be a sin.

Hearing those words escape her husband, red immediately rushed to her porcelain face. She'd never get used to that name, she thought. It made her heart go 'doki-doki' loudly.

"… don't sneak up… behind me like that," she stammered.

"Wow. Now, _I'm_ the one who's invisible? What happened to _the_ invisible girl?" Kagami turned his wife to see her face. Gosh, he'd never be tired looking at her celestial beauty. What did she do making him fall so hard?

"That is history. I don't think I can ever hide from you anymore."

"Yeah, not a chance. Not letting you go anywhere," his embrace tightened, protectively wrapping around Tetsuna's tiny body.

"Don't worry," the soft blue haired lady twined her arms around Kagami's neck, pulling him closer. "I'm not going anywhere," her breath ghosted across Kagami's lips.

Without wasting anytime, Kagami closed the nuisance gap. He gently, slowly tasted the sweetness of Tetsuna's mouth. Vanilla and cinnamon fusing together perfectly just the way Kagami liked it. He, then, peppered her with kisses across her jaw. Tetsuna sighed sweetly, her face flushing. If it wasn't because of her husband held her tightly, she would've fallen to the ground. It was sweet and gentle, but intoxicating too.

Kagami wanted to reclaim her lips again, however his stomach envied their relationship. The growling sound startled them, but Tetsuna quickly recovered and giggled. Kagami cursed under his breath, face turning red matching his hair.

"Something demands attention, it seems," Tetsuna pointed at her husband's stomach as she peeled herself off him. "Time for breakfast."

"Che', not fun," the redhead pushed a chair.

Realizing her husband was pouting like a kid, Tetsuna smiled as she placed a bowl of warm rice in front of him, "We can play again after you're back from school."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she sat next to her husband.

It brought a goofy smile back to Kagami's lips. '_Baka_ hubby' came across her mind in the speed of lightning, but she concealed it with her angelic expression. Hiding her real expression was Tetsuna's specialty. Back in middle school, she was known as 'the invisible girl'. With small body and voice, lack of expression and presence, no one had cared for her. She was lonely.

Very lonely.

Until the gods of Shintou had brought Kagami into her life.

He had crumbled her walls and warmed her icy cold heart with friendship and love. He had brought smiles and colors into her life; green forest, red roses, blue skies, white clouds, making it beautiful and meaningful.

Kagami Taiga had made her love him.

Smiling to herself, Tetsuna pushed her thoughts away. "How's your interaction with your students?"

"Hm?" Kagami paused chewing his food. "Students? Ah… they're fine, I guess. But not all of them are really nice."

"Who are _not all_ of them?"

"Aomine Daiki, I think."

"Oh, the kid that you hit with boxes before?"

"Did I?" Kagami wiggled an eyebrow. "Ouch! Don't jab me!" he rubbed his sore ribs.

"Yes, you did, my dear Taiga," she placed her hand on the table again. "I remember that very well. And I did talk with his guardian that evening."

"Aomine's… guardian?"

"Yes, Momoi Satsuki, his cousin. Aomine-kun is living with her. Apparently, Aomine-kun's mother died when he was young. In an accident, if I'm not mistaken. Then, his father left him moving to Tokyo. Basically, he has no one but his cousin and his childhood friend, Kise Ryouko. So, I suggest, Kagami-sensei should be more lenient with him," she explained calmly.

The redhead sipped his coffee. "Hm, that explains his behavior—ouch, stop jabbing me! Spousal abuse!"

"Don't judge people like that," sternness slipped in her calm voice.

"Fine! You don't have to do that though. It hurts," then, Kagami paused briefly, thinking. "By the way, Tetsuna, you know so much in a very short time."

"I enjoy socializing with the villagers," she said with deadpan face.

Kagami let out a sigh. "We just moved here last week, and you've joined the gossip club?"

"As a full-time housewife but no kids, and a bonus; my misdirection skill, I have plenty of time to play spying games, Kagami-sensei."

* * *

**A/N: **Warning! My pace maybe slowed down in the future. I apologize (in advance) for being a slow writer. orz

To Lysandera: In this story, they should be around 20 something. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Promise.

**Disclaimer:** Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

**Warning(s):** AU, gender-bender (fem!Kuroko, fem!Kise, fem!Midorima).

**Summary:** Kagami & Tetsuna (fem!Kuroko) just moved into Seirin village. Kise (fem!Kise) and Aomine were childhood friends. However, their friendship began to crumble when Kise found out Aomine had feelings towards Tetsuna.

* * *

The bells of the school rang out their loud peal, earning long sighs of relief from students.

Kise couldn't help sighing at the sight. Love letters filled her shoes locker to the brim that it could no longer shut properly. Other girls would've giggled in delight if those letters were inside their locker, but not Kise—of course, she was happy (and proud) at first, however the feelings had slowly faded away when she had to deal with it every day, like fading evening light.

"Pilling up as usual?" a question nudged her out of her numbing thoughts.

"Midorimacchi, you surprised me!" Kise pouted as she tucked the letters away in her bag. The braided green haired girl called Midorimacchi, or on her nametag, Midorima Shintarou, put on her shoes nonchalantly.

"I'm rather surprised of their guts," the bespectacled girl picked up one of them, peering closely before stuffing it into Kise's bag. "They won't give up, will they?"

The blonde girl slowly closed her locker, the grip on her bag tightened. "They… are very nice. I do feel bad for not returning their feelings," and she certainly didn't lie about it. Her heart clenched every time she saw the letters, and their disappointed faces wasn't a beautiful sight either.

"Don't be. Feelings can't be forced. Besides, how they could fall in love with a 12 years old girl? Are they blind?"

"Because I'm cute?!" Kise showed 'V' sign and stuck her tongue out. A statement, actually. "I am surprised knowing Midorimacchi, who is my best friend and wears spectacles, too, fails to see my cuteness. I think Midorimacchi needs to upgrade her spectacles."

"I see just fine. They _are _blind, and you _are_ stupid," Midorima pivoted around and walked briskly towards the gate entrance. Her green hair shone beautifully as the evening sunlight fell on her.

"MIDORIMACCHI'S MEANIE!" a shout went up behind her. A moment later, Kise was already walking next to her, puffing out a breath in annoyance. Her basketball training did help her boost her stamina and Kise was grateful for it.

"Why you rejected them? What are they lacking of?" apparently, to Kise's dismay, the conversation hadn't steered away from its course.

It took her a moment before finally revealing the answer. "They are good, actually. At least, most of them are. But," Kise paused briefly. "I guess I already have someone in my heart," an amiable smile pulled her rosy cheeks up as Kise dropped her gaze on the ground. Nevertheless, Midorima managed to catch the glimpse of happiness dancing in her golden eyes.

"And that unlucky person is…"

"MIDORIMACCHI—!" her voice suddenly died when her ears perked up at her own name. Kise turned on her heels, tucking her bangs behind her ear as the wavy hair fluttering in the gentle evening breeze. The golden eyes widening and a radiant smile spread over her face, revealing her white teeth.

For a moment, Midorima thought she saw an angel stand before her eyes, bathed with bright evening light.

"Kise, you're slow," a tanned boy was sitting on the railings, scowling at the blonde.

"Sorry, Aominecchi!" she ate up the distance between them with long strides, beaming sheepishly. "Ah, Midorimacchi, _jane_~"

The green haired girl raised her hand to return her goodbye.

She fixed her gaze on the childhood friends, watching them talk to each other, smile and a ripple of delighted laughter escape them. Kise's face seemed to be brighter too, softening and accentuating her natural beauty, every time the boy gave out a remark. She appeared comfortable and… natural. Then, Midorima watched her best friend hop on the boy's bike and ride off, disappearing from her sight.

"…Aomine, huh?" Midorima muttered under her breath.

~oo0oo~

He began to ponder if his intuition was right.

Aomine Daiki's first encounter with Kagami Taiga was at onsen.

The navy haired boy had decided to pay the onsen a visit as his excuse to run away from his evil cousin, Momoi Satsuki—she had cooked him a dinner and dear _Kami -sama,_ he'd die in agony just by looking at the meals. And Aomine was certain; the smells of her cooking had a capable of crushing his lungs.

However, never came across his mind, the redhead would be there. And they ended up taking bath together, with other old geezers—much to his disappointment, of course.

To make it even worse, those old geezers was too generous to his liking to share his story life with Kagami—his private life. 'Aomine-kun was a good boy', 'this kid is a tough one, you know', 'Daiki' there, 'Daiki' here. For fuck's sake, Aomine thought the onsen had echoed with his name alone.

His annoyance reached its peak when Kagami had offered himself to walk him home. Aomine couldn't stand with the redhead's presence any longer, choosing to disappear himself into the mysterious night.

Their second encounter leaded Aomine to his new epiphany; this Kagami guy was brought into this world to annoy the hell out of him.

Apparently, Kagami Taiga was their new basketball coach. The sight of Kagami suddenly standing in the doorway had caused him to miss his shoot and the ball bounced back to his forehead.

Refusing to acknowledge his new coach, Aomine had gone to ask his captain, Akashi Seijurou. As calm and cold as Akashi was, he simply replied; "I take no part in this matter. If you've got any problem, tell him instead."

Oh gosh, he seriously felt like ramming himself against the wall that time.

And the third encounter convinced him life was a bitch, fate was a cruel bastard and the destiny was ruthless, which was happening before his eyes _right now_.

Somehow, seeing his English teacher hold a sharp knife and a red apron hug his waist irked Aomine so much. Just what kind of guy cooks for his wife anyway?

He had been right, after all—he really disliked Kagami to the core.

Nonetheless, the tanned boy rested his cheek on the dinner table, his back arched, and turned his head to left. The sight of the lady of house, Kagami Tetsuna, teaching his flustered childhood friend Math greeted his blue eyes.

And it brought a sincere smile to his lips.

Aomine took a moment to whisper his grateful for Kise for coming up with an idea to study at Kagami's house. Ridiculously and miraculously as it sounded, their friends had to decline the invitation at the very last minute. Now, he—no, they could have the lady all by themselves.

He smiled at the thought.

"Aomine-kun, what are you thinking?" Tetsuna's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"No… nothing," he was flustered. Getting caught staring at her brought faint blush rising to his tanned cheeks.

"Thinking of your girlfriend?" Kagami put down plates before Aomine and proceeded to place bowls as well. Delicious smells filled the air, arousing the hunger pangs inside him.

"None of your business," he answered curtly. "Tetsu, why don't you cook? I want to taste your cooking," he turned to see the soft blue haired lady.

"Tetsu?" they asked simultaneously—however, Kagami's tone was slightly higher, annoyance sounded vividly in his tone.

"Yep, Tetsuna is too long, Tetsu is easier," the blue haired boy replied nonchalantly, gnawing his chopstick, eyeing the food hungrily. "They look appealing."

"Wow, wait! Who are you to call Tetsuna—_my beloved wife—_Tetsu?!" twinge of jealously could be heard in Kagami's words.

"Wow, they actually taste good."

"Of course, you dumbass! And don't ignore me!"

A small smile raised on Tetsuna's face. Seeing her husband getting worked up because of a small thing put her in serenity. It was a rare view since her husband wasn't really good at making new friends. Well, as long as thrashing with a kid is counted as making friends, that is.

Contrast to Tetsuna's delighted face, Kise's face was darkened. Her smile vanished. The insults and yells that indulged the room were nothing compared with the thoughts lingering heavily in her mind. Hearing the nickname explode out of Aomine's lips somewhat had struck fear—or shock, disappointment, she herself wasn't sure—into her heart. Trapped with her own thoughts, Kise lowered her gaze.

"You okay. Kise-chan?" the soft, concern voice roused her from her stupor.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine," the blonde girl stuttered. She racked her brains to cover it up. "I'm… just thinking that if… Aominecchi… if Aominecchi calls you 'Tetsu', could I call you 'Tetsucchi' instead?"

Tetsuna blinked for a moment. "Yes, sure."

"Great! Tetsucchi, that is!" she tasted the name on the tip of her tongue. "Anyway, the meals look good! Never thought Kagami-sensei is such a great chef! I better wash my hands before digging in!" Kise, then, leapt to her feet and walked off towards the sink.

And she couldn't help but steal a glance at her childhood friend as she walked past him.

However, unbeknownst to the blonde girl and the boys, Tetsuna's stare was lingering and thorough, drinking in every detail of Kise, studying the atmosphere around her.

"…poor little girl…"

* * *

**A/N: **I'm truly sorry for being a slow writer. O...TL


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Promise.

**Disclaimer:** Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

**Warning(s):** AU, gender-bender (fem!Kuroko, fem!Kise, fem!Midorima).

**Summary:** Kagami & Tetsuna (fem!Kuroko) just moved into Seirin village. Kise (fem!Kise) and Aomine were childhood friends. However, their friendship began to crumble when Kise found out Aomine had feelings towards Tetsuna.

* * *

The buzzing voices around the class didn't budge Aomine at all. Gazing out of the window at the swaying trees and the translucent blue sky, Aomine's mind wandered off to a certain light blue haired woman.

Until a high-pitched voice pierced into his mind, shattering them like broken glasses.

Snapping his head up, he found a pair of golden-colored eyes narrowed at him. Aomine clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head. "What's up, Kise?" he darted his eyes around the class. Then only he realized, everyone was looking at them expectantly.

"I called Aominecchi like, seven times, yet Aominecchi didn't respond at all," Kise put her hand on her waist, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "We're discussing about our role playing."

"So what? Go on without me," Aomine rested his chin in his cupped hand that propped on the table. "None of my business."

"It is your business as well, Aominecchi," then, Kise's tone roused in happiness. "You're playing the thieve, the main character, and I'll be the princess! How awesome is that?!" she rounded on her heels, smiling broadly as the class was echoed with a babble of voices again.

He widened his eyes in surprise at the sudden announcement. He looked up at the black board. Indeed, there was written Aomine Daiki as 'the thieve', which had gained the highest vote. What the…? Aomine reflexively pushed his chair back and thumped the table, startling the whole class. "The hell?! No, I'm not going to do it!" he totally disagreed with them!

"Just accept it, Aomine," the class president, Imayoshi Shouichi finally spoke up. "This is the only way to get you involved with this role playing. If not, you would be skipping and not doing any job at all," his glasses gleamed, indicating he'd planned this since the beginning.

"That's the point!" Aomine barked out. "I don't want to get involved with this shit! Just find someone else!" The frustration building up inside him.

"But, Aominecchi—!"

"—No means NO!"

The silence stretched out before Kise broke it with her shaking voice. "It's fine, then. Aominecchi's right. Guess we have to find someone else," she turned around and announced; "Who wants to play the main character?"

Aomine hated this. He hated to get his ass work for this stupid event. He hated the role playing. He hated to play the main character role. But, he hated the expression drifting across Kise's face more.

She looked hurt and heartbroken.

"Hey, Kise, that's enough," he took her by her wrist. Kise turned to see, eyes widened and mouth hanging a little. Aomine roamed his eyes around the class again. They were waiting for his answer. He gulped down his pride and finally said; "I'll do it, okay?"

His short answer gained loud cheers from his classmates. Aomine couldn't help but let out a long sigh. However, the picture on Kise's face caught him off guard. She was surprised. But, the feelings swimming in her scalded eyes told him she was touched and happy by his answer. Letting her wrist go, Aomine swiveled his attention back to the tree, trying to look nonchalant.

Nonetheless, he didn't miss almost inaudible 'thank you' that escaped her lips.

And he didn't miss Kagami's name when Imayoshi was talking about the teacher who's going to help them.

Aomine grunted at the name grumpily.

…

It took all of Kise's patience and concentration to survive toeing off her school shoes while closing the door with her butt. Her elder sisters kicked their shoes everywhere, leaving the entrance way as perilous as a mine field. Kise sighed tiredly.

"I'm home~!" she announced her arrival home. The sounds of footsteps shuffling in the kitchen confirmed Kise her sisters were home as well. She walked around the death trap of shoes, hands going up to her hair and lifted them up to a high ponytail, letting the cold air touch her neck. "Nee-san? Nee-chan?"

"Ah, Ryouko," one of her sisters popped her head out of the kitchen room. "Mind helping us do some groceries shopping?"

"Eh? But, I just got back," she whined.

Her sister quirked her lips up and walked up to her. She shoved a piece of paper to her chest. "Stop whining like a dog or no dinner for you. Here's the list," she rounded back to the kitchen as she waved a hand. "Do it quick, mom and dad will be here in thirty minutes."

"Nee-chan meanie…" she muttered under her breath, earning a warning shout from her sister. She giggled and set on her feet, not wanting to face her sister's rage. She almost tripped on the dead mine of shoes, but Kise managed to balance herself and put on her sandals.

The setting sun tinged the sky with a dusky orange. Kise quickened her pace to the nearest store. It took her at least 5 minutes to go to the store by walk. She should be able to make it before her parents got home.

The things went smoothly as she'd calculated. Finding the ingredients her sisters needed was easy. The queue wasn't long and the cashier was working efficiently. Packing the stuffs into the bag, Kise thanked the cashier and went home. It went smoothly.

However, on the way going back home, Kise saw her childhood friend stand not far from her teacher's house.

"What's Aominecchi doing there?" she asked herself. Knowing she wouldn't get any answer—she didn't have the answer anyway—Kise shouted up at the tanned boy. But, a cold wind suddenly cut through her voice, making it inaudible. Kise held her swaying hair on and screwed her eyes shut, disturbed by the sudden wind. When the wind finally calmed down, Kise slowly cracked her eyes open.

Then, her eyes went huge. Her heart dropped to her stomach. The uneasy feeling bubbled up inside her again.

Aomine was _smiling_.

He was smiling beautifully at the light blue haired lady, who was oblivious to her surrounding and busy sweeping around the lawn.

The sight pushed her legs to run. Run away from her spot, heading home. A man greeted her from his lawn, but it went unnoticed by the blonde. As she ran, Kise swallowed her saliva thickly. There were so many questions lingering inside her head.

_Why Aominecchi is standing there?_

_Why Aominecchi is looking at Tetsucchi?_

Never in Kise's life, had she ran this hard. She banged the front door behind her once she'd reached home; startling people resided in the house. She just threw the bag to her confused sister without any word and rushed upstairs, heading to her own bedroom. She dived to her bed and buried her head in the pillow.

_Why is he smiling?_

~oo0oo~

The yesterday's incident roused a lot of questions from her sister. Fortunately, she knew how to brush them away and dodge their question. However, her sisters had another way to dig her out—by using her childhood friend.

"Your sisters told me you didn't take your dinner last night," Aomine asked as he forced himself to actually read their role playing script. His voice echoed through the empty class. He leaned against the chair lazily and rested his legs on the table like a delinquent kid he was while Kise was sitting at the head of Aomine's table. "Something wrong?"

"I'm on a diet," Kise picked on her script paper.

"Bullshit," he bit out. "That doesn't explain why you banged the door."

Kise didn't answer. At this time, she didn't like the affection her sister had for her. They didn't have to reveal all the details, did they? She turned to him. Aomine stared at her adamantly with his sharp midnight eyes. Her body went rigid at the gaze. Something in his gaze held her eyes on him, but Kise managed to tear her gaze away from him.

"Nee… Aominecchi, did you go to Kagami-sensei's house yesterday evening?" a question rose to her lips.

Aomine shifted in his seat. He brought his gaze back to the script. "No, I didn't. I was playing basket at that time. Why?"

The blonde shook her head and put on a sunny smile. "No, it's nothing! It just crossed my mind, that's all," and she turned to the script in her hands, humming happily.

Nonetheless, her hands gripped the script tightly that they might tear it. An ugly feeling slowly settled in her heart. Kise bit her bottom lip. She was glad her fringes were long enough to hide her expression from her childhood friend.

_Why is he lying to me?_

* * *

**A/N: **Before you guys decides to throw knives to me, please accept my apologies for updating very slowly. Yes, I enjoyed writing this fanfic, so, rest assured because I won't abandon this fanfic.


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